1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high visibility safety helmet system; and more specifically to a safety helmet worn by motorcycle and bicycle riders that signals the motorcycle or bicycle's deceleration rate, thereby preventing accidents and injury to motorcyclists.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many patents address issues related to providing safety helmets with illuminating or reflecting features. Some of the helmet lights are responsive to vehicle brake deceleration, but the vehicle's deceleration rate is not communicated to other surrounding automotive drivers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,319,308 to Ippoliti et al. discloses a motorcycle helmet, which makes use of LEDs to direct light between two thin shells of curvilinear profile. Characters, such as alphabet letters, are thereby illuminated on the side of the helmet. The light sources are located in the bottom of the helmet to direct light upwardly in a direction generally parallel to the thin shells. Light is reflected between the shells due to the shells' curvilinear profile. The lights are not on the rear face of the helmet and are not illuminated according to the deceleration of the motorcycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,587 to Hurwitz discloses an illuminated safety helmet. At least one electroluminescent strip is permanently adhered to a helmet shell. The electroluminescent strip is powered by a power unit arranged on the helmet shell. The power unit can comprise a rechargeable battery. Power is supplied to the electroluminescent strips when an ON/OFF switch is turned ON. The electroluminescent light on the helmet is not actuated in response to deceleration of a motorcycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,621 to Mantha et al. discloses an illuminated safety helmet. A pair of LED modules that is mounted at the front and back of the helmet. An electrical circuit with an on-board battery powers the LEDs. The helmet has a chin strap fitted with snap together connectors which when joined operate to secure the helmet on the user's head. A pair of electrical contacts is incorporated into the connectors and operates as a switch, which closes and opens the circuit, respectively, with the engagement and disengagement of the connectors. The lights are not turned on according to the deceleration of a motorcycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,467 to Hurwitz discloses an electroluminescent illuminated protective hat such as a hard hat, helmet or the like. A retrofit unit retrofits existing protective hats to include an electroluminescent illumination device. At least one electroluminescent lamp is secured to a shell of the protective hat. The lamp is powered by a power unit comprising a rechargeable battery housed within the protective hat shell. A retrofit unit includes at least one electroluminescent lamp and power unit portion. Existing protective hats are retrofitted with the electroluminescent lamp and power unit portion. Both the electroluminescent lamp and the power unit portion of the retrofit unit can be either permanently or temporarily secured to a protective hat. This retrofit electroluminescent lamp does not respond to the deceleration of a motorcycle to thereby signal following vehicles that the motorcycle is braking.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,676 to Kutnyak discloses an illuminated protective headgear. This illuminated protective headgear has an inner core of resilient cushioning material with cavities. An outer shell with portions overlies the core with windows that are clear to translucent or open and are of graphical configuration disposed on opposite sides of the headgear. A power circuit supported by said inner core with lighting panels has light sources disposed in the cavities so as to be viewed through a respective window. Timing circuitry times the on-off sequence of the lights, so as to create an effect of motion of the illumination within each window. The lights in this recreational helmet are not turned on in response to the deceleration of a motorcycle or bicycle.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,221,263 to discloses a helmet lighting system. This lighting system is mounted on a motorcycle or bicycle helmet. The lighting system includes one or more accelerometers coupled to the helmet and a processor adapted to process the signals from the accelerometers. The accelerometers may be mounted to the helmet, or to the motorcycle or bicycle. The lighting system further includes two rows of LED lights mounted on the helmet. The LED lights are responsive to the processed signal so that the light illuminates as the result of a deceleration force. The system may also include filtering software to remove helmet motion artifact and other noise from the signal. Remote wheel speed indicators may also be used in conjunction with or in place of the accelerometers. Mounting tabs releasably attach the lighting unit to the helmet. In the '263 disclosure, the light is generally in the “off” condition and is illuminated only when the vehicle decelerates.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,232,246 to Kleber, et al, discloses an illuminated panel portion for vehicles and vehicular accessories. A generally translucent panel defines a selected design. The translucent panel is disposed in an aperture of an adjacent panel of the vehicle or vehicle accessory such that the outer surfaces of the translucent panel and adjacent panel are substantially flush. A light source is disposed in relation to the panel for illuminating the translucent panel. Vehicular speed is not correlated with increased light intensity.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,221,263 to Moore, et al. discloses a helmet lighting system. The lighting system is adapted to be mounted on a motorcycle or bicycle helmet. The lighting system includes one or more accelerometers coupled to the helmet and a processor adapted to process the signals from the accelerometers. The accelerometers may be mounted to the helmet, or the motorcycle or bicycle. The lighting system further includes a light mounted on the helmet that is responsive to the processed signal such that the light illuminates as result of a deceleration force. The system may also include filtering software to remove helmet motion artifact and other noise from the signal. Remote wheel speed indicators may also be used in conjunction with or in place of the accelerometers. The vertical and horizontal accelerometers are used to drive the lighting system. They are not designed to react to the deceleration rate of the motorcycle or bicycle.
US Patent Application 20040240198 to Van Laar discloses an automated self-illuminating sports & safety helmet. A intelligent sports and safety helmet designed for bicyclists, skateboarders, snowboarders, skiers, other sports enthusiast as well as industrial, military and security services utilizes a helmet or head protection while performing an activity or duty. The helmet consists of a sports or safety helmet with a microprocessor, a set of sensors and a software program residing within the microprocessor. In operation electronic sensors automatically detect if the user is wearing helmet and if environmental conditions warrant self-illumination. The microprocessor manages the state of the illuminating elements. This '198 device does not suggest a high visibility electroluminescent helmet that is always lit, and a plurality of illuminating lights operative in response to the motor cycles deceleration rate. Rather, in the '198 Publication, motion detection is used to assure that the helmet is on when the vehicle is moving (and not just sitting in a dark closet on a shelf). The '198 publication broadly discloses an “on” program wherein the helmet can be flashing, steady state or sequencing depending on the light level in the environment wherein the helmet resides, so that passing under lights or stopping at a stop light will not deactivate the unit.
There remains a need in the art for a helmet worn by a motor cycle or bicycle rider that clearly indicates the presence of the motorcycle on the road at all times and signals following vehicles that the motorcycle or bicycle is decelerating, thereby warning drivers of proximate vehicles and providing them with an increased margin of safety.